How to Turn On/Off Scroll Lock in Excel (2 Ways)

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The Scroll Lock feature in Excel allows us to control the way of navigation through the worksheet. In this article, we’ll learn how to check the scroll lock status first and then turn the feature on and off. You may accidentally lock the worksheet while working and cannot navigate through cells. This article is going to help you to troubleshoot the problem and solve it in case it happens.


What is Scroll Lock in Excel?

The scroll lock feature in Excel controls the way of navigation through the worksheet.
In general, the scroll lock feature remains deactivated by default. We can navigate from one cell to another in any direction using the arrow keys.
But when the scroll lock option is turned on, it allows us to scroll through the whole worksheet. Using the navigation arrows, we can scroll through rows (up and down) and columns (left and right) instead of navigating through the cells. When the scroll lock is on, the active cell remains fixed while scrolling through the worksheet.


Check If Scroll Lock is Active or Not in Excel

1. Check the Status Bar in Excel

The status bar in Excel provides useful information about the active worksheet. We can customize the status bar to set which information to show on it.
The status bar shows the scroll lock status if it is on. See the screenshot below.

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel


2. Configure the Status Bar If Scroll Lock Status Is Not Displaying

In case you cannot navigate through the cells of the worksheet, moreover, the status bar displays nothing about the scroll lock status. It might happen when the status bar is not configured to show the scroll lock status.

To configure the status bar, we need to right-click on it. In the following screenshot, we can see that the right side of the Scroll Lock option displays On status. It means the scroll lock is active in this worksheet. But the left side of the Scroll Lock option is not checked. This is the reason that the status bar does not show any information about the scroll lock status.

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel

To show the scroll lock status on the status bar, just click the Scroll Lock option to make it checked. See the following screenshot.


3. Open the On-Screen Keyboard to Check the Scroll Lock Status

We can also check the scroll lock status with the help of the On-Screen Keyboard. If the scroll lock is on, the ScrLk button of the keyboard will be displayed as active (shown in the screenshot below).

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel

How to Display the On-Screen Keyboard

To display the On-Screen Keyboard, follow the simple steps.
Steps:

  • Click the Windows button or simply press it on the keyboard.

  • Start typing On-Screen Keyboard, windows will suggest the available options.

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel

  • Now, click on the On–Screen Keyboard option to display.

Alternative way

  • Press Windows + R together on the keyboard to open the Run window.
  • Type osk (shortcut for On-Screen Keyboard) in the open input box and hit It’ll open the On-Screen Keyboard.

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel


4. Check the Indication Light on the Physical Keyboard

In many physical keyboards, there are colored lights that show whether the Num Lock, Screen Lock, and Caps Lock features are active or not.  You may find it in your keyboard too that indicates the screen lock status.


Turn On/Off Scroll Lock in Excel: 2 Ways

1. Use of Scroll Lock Key in Physical Keyboard to Turn On/Off Scroll Lock in Excel

In almost every physical keyboard, there is a button named Scroll Lock. we can think of it as a  toggle button. Pressing once the Scroll Lock button will activate the feature and again pressing another time will deactivate it.


2. Turn On/Off the Scroll Lock by Using the On-Screen Keyboard

In case the keyboard doesn’t have the Screen Lock key, or it is broken, we can use the On-Screen Keyboard to turn on and turn off Scroll Lock. Follow the steps to display the On-Screen Keyboard described in the previous section.

How to Display the On-Screen Keyboard

After following the above steps, we can display the On-Screen Keyboard. Now, click the ScrLk key to turn on and off the screen lock feature.

How to Turn on/off Scroll Lock in Excel


Notes 

We can configure the status bar to display the screen lock status on it. But this is only for displaying the status, that’s it. It cannot turn on or off the feature.


Download Practice Workbook

Download this practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.


Conclusion

Now, we know what screen lock is and how to turn it on/off. Hopefully, it won’t panic you. Any questions or suggestions don’t forget to put them in the comment box below.


Scroll Lock in Excel: Knowledge Hub


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Al Arafat Siddique
Al Arafat Siddique

Al Arafat Siddique, BSc, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, has worked on the ExcelDemy project for two years. He has written over 85+ articles for ExcelDemy. Currently, he is working as a software developer. He is leading a team of six members to develop Microsoft Office Add-ins, extending Office applications to interact with office documents. Other assigned projects to his team include creating AI-based products and online conversion tools using the latest... Read Full Bio

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